Jurgen Klopp content Mo Salah kept his cool after early misfires
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has no worries about Mohamed Salah's misfires in front of goal because he keeps coming up with important moments when they need them most.
Luis Diaz’s volley just before the half-hour allowed the hosts to recover from Brighton striker Danny Welbeck’s opener inside 90 seconds, but the Reds needed a clear head and a clinical touch from their Egypt international to secure a 2-1 victory midway through the second half.
Salah had 12 attempts on goal, his most in a Premier League match and the most on record by a Liverpool player in the competition.
It was also the most by any player in the top flight since Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Burnley more than seven years ago.
Despite the failures, when the excellent Alexis Mac Allister picked him out in the penalty area in the 65th minute, the Egyptian remained composed to deliver what could be an important goal in the title race.
"Imagine Mo would have finished off all the situations in his career? That would be crazy, so it is absolutely fine," said Klopp.
"We need him to try. Mo, like the others, was a bit in a rush to finish off situations and didn’t do like they can do it.
"But then being that calm in the decisive moment with the biggest chance we had from the best football we played, then that makes a real goalscorer so we are happy with everything.
"Darwin (Nunez) opened up so many spaces, Lucho (Diaz) was incredible, they were all really good today.
"Their centre-halves were outstanding and it was just a really good game today, against an opponent you know it will be the hardest work.
"To defend them needs the highest intensity in English football and we did well.
"It was, from my point of view, the best performance against Roberto’s Brighton. More